Driver sentenced for hitting Tyrone Area Middle School student with van
Perruna fled scene after striking middle school student
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The driver who struck a Tyrone Area Middle School student with his van before fleeing the scene in March 2025 was sentenced in June to 12 months to seven years' incarceration in a state correctional institution.
Michael John Perruna, 41, was charged with single felony counts of accidents involving death or personal injury and aggravated assault by vehicle, as well as three summary traffic offenses, in the case that left a 14-year-old student with a broken pelvis, facial fractures and swelling around her spine.
Perruna appeared June 1 alongside defense attorney Anthony Kattouf for a plea hearing in front of Judge Paula M. Aigner, during which he entered guilty pleas to all charges.
Aigner sentenced him to three months to three years' incarceration at the felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury and to 12 months to seven years' incarceration at the felony count of aggravated assault by vehicle, to run consecutively to each other. Aigner also ordered Perruna to pay $2,000 in fines, pay $1,000 in restitution, pay $1,750 to the state police crime lab at Greensburg, undergo drug and alcohol and mental health evaluations, complete a cognitive behavioral therapy course and have no contact with the victim.
Perruna has been housed at SCI Houtzdale since Sept. 15.
The case was filed against Perruna after he struck the victim with his vehicle about 6:55 a.m. March 12 and fled the scene. The collision left the victim lying in the southbound lane of Pennsylvania Avenue, just north of the intersection with West 15th Street. At the time, officers reported a debris field of vehicle parts near the victim.
The victim was transported to UPMC Altoona and then flown to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh with serious injuries. Videos from surrounding homes and businesses showed a truck lighting up the street with its headlights and blocking the camera view with a glare as it passed by. When the truck fully passed the camera, the victim could be seen lying on the road. Behind the truck, a van is seen with damage to its front driver's side, the police report states.
The van was then seen turning into a parking lot, with the driver, identified as Perruna, exiting and inspecting the vehicle's damage. Officers reported that at no point did Perruna stop at the scene to render aid or provide information.
Police inspected the van left in the parking lot and matched a piece of a broken headlight found at the scene to the damaged vehicle. Police also reported seeing what appeared to be a long human hair stuck to the front bumper and the windshield was cracked at the base on the driver's side.
A state police collision expert analyzed the scene and determined that the striking vehicle had been traveling south on Pennsylvania Avenue at the time of the crash, according to the affidavit of probable cause. In addition, the trooper said he believed the victim had been in the crosswalk at the time of the collision.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.